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Graduate Student Loan Policy

Beginning Fall 2009, we will closely monitor class enrollment for graduate students to ensure students are making progress toward their degrees by taking graduate level courses.  If you are a graduate student taking undergraduate credits, you should be aware you may not be making progress to a graduate degree.  Please be aware of the policies for the following scenarios:

• Students taking classes as prerequisites for enrollment in graduate school, who have been approved by the Graduate Admissions Office as a Special Graduate student (not fully admitted to the program), will only receive financial aid as a Special Graduate for one academic year and need to provide written authorization from the Graduate School to our office.  Special Graduate students cannot receive graduate level grants but can receive Federal Stafford loans at the senior, undergraduate limits.  Undergraduate aggregate limits for Stafford loans apply in this situation.
• Graduate students fully admitted to a graduate program taking only undergraduate classes must receive prior written approval from the Department in their program of study to receive financial aid.  The written approval should describe the special circumstance that requires the student to take only undergraduate courses for an entire term or an entire academic year.  Funding for these circumstances will only be provided for one academic year, and students cannot receive graduate level grants.  Students can receive Federal Stafford loans at the senior, undergraduate limits.  Undergraduate aggregate limits for Stafford loans apply in this situation.

The minimum number of credits for graduate students to receive financial aid is 4 credits for fall and spring (3 credits for summer). 

• At least 3 of those credits must be graduate level to receive graduate level financial aid.
• Any graduate students enrolled in a combination of graduate and undergraduate courses will be considered to be working toward their degrees.  However, any graduate courses dropped before census date that leave the student in only undergraduate credits will constitute a change in their financial aid award that will remove graduate level grants and only allow Federal Stafford Loans at the senior, undergraduate limits.

• Any graduate and undergraduate courses dropped before census date that bring the enrollment to less than 4 credits (3 credits for summer) for fall or spring will require the Financial Aid office to place the student in a less than half-time budget for that semester that could require you to return some of the aid you received.

Although not a change in our policy, please remember that undergraduate courses also count toward Satisfactory Academic Progress.  Any undergraduate courses in which students receive a grade will be included in completion rates, grade point average and maximum hours when the financial aid office computes your academic progress at the end of the spring semester.  Dropping or failing undergraduate classes can adversely affect your academic progress and your financial aid eligibility.